The Saint (1997)
61%RT Audience Score: 63%
Awards & Nominations: NA
The Saint is watchable thanks to Kilmer and Shue, but the muddled screenplay stretches credulity
The Saint is like a bad first date that starts off okay but quickly goes downhill. It’s a generic suspenser that tries too hard to be cool and ends up being forgettable. Kilmer’s disguises are more laughable than convincing, and poor Shue is stuck playing a sexy bookworm who pretends to be a dowdy scientist. The only redeeming quality is that it’s so bad, it’s almost good. Almost.
Production Company(ies)
Final Cut for Real Sun Creature Studio Vivement Lundi
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-PG
Year of Release
1997
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Oct 6, 1998
Genre(s)
Action/Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue, Rade Serbedzija, Valeriy Nikolaev, Henry Goodman, Alun Armstrong, directed by Phillip Noyce, written by Leslie Charteris, Jonathan Hensleigh, Wesley Strick, action, adventure, romance, box office, budget, reviewed by Carol Buckland, Todd McCarthy, Darren Bignell, Lisa Alspector, Derek Adams, Peter Travers, David Nusair, Brian Costello, Maitland McDonagh, JoBlo, Tom Meek, PG-13, Leslie Charteris, David Brown, Robert Evans, William J Macdonald, Mace Neufeld, spy, international thief, Russian oil magnate, cold fusion, scientist, aliases, Inspector Teal, Roman Catholic saints, seduction, incomplete formula, kidnapping, thriller, disguises, miscasting, Batman character
Worldwide gross: $61,363,304
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: $61,363,304
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Elisabeth Shue – Emma Russell
Rade Serbedzija – Ivan Tretiak
Valeriy Nikolaev – Ilya Tretiak
Henry Goodman – Dr. Lev Botvin
Alun Armstrong – Inspector Teal
Director(s)
Phillip Noyce
Writer(s)
Leslie Charteris, Jonathan Hensleigh, Wesley Strick
Producer(s)
David Brown, Robert Evans, William J. Macdonald, Mace Neufeld
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (47) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (14) | Rotten (33)
The Saint isn’t unforgivable, but it definitely falls short of being satisfying entertainment.
January 5, 2018
Carol Buckland
CNN.com
TOP CRITIC
A generic suspenser that doesn’t taste bad at first bite but becomes increasingly hard to swallow.
May 20, 2008
Todd McCarthy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
There’s no lack of style or pace from Noyce, just the sense that it isn’t quite gelling together.
May 20, 2008 | Rating: 3/5
Darren Bignell
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
This insufferable romance-adventure includes vague comedy as well as unintentional humor, and its target audience seems to be preadolescents who won’t notice the calculated enthusiasm with which it sidesteps sexuality.
May 20, 2008
Lisa Alspector
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Eminently forgettable.
June 24, 2006
Derek Adams
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Love redeems this profiteer; it also renders him conventional.
March 6, 2005
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
TOP CRITIC
…a sluggish and terminally uninvolving thriller…
March 8, 2022 | Rating: 1.5/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
Uneven ’90s action movie has violence, some drug use.
May 31, 2016 | Rating: 2/5
Brian Costello
Common Sense Media
Kilmer slips in and out of a series of ludicrously elaborate disguises, some more convincing than others, while poor Shue shuffles through the role of a sexy, book-reading babe pretending to be a dowdy lady scientist in kneesocks.
May 20, 2008 | Rating: 2.5/4
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide
There was enough in the movie for me to watch and somewhat enjoy it the whole way through.
August 18, 2006 | Rating: 6/10
JoBlo
JoBlo’s Movie Network
What could have been a cool concept movie buckles under an uninspired script and some treacherous miscasting.
December 6, 2005 | Rating: 1/5
Tom Meek
Film Threat
Kilmer should have stuck with his Batman character.
April 9, 2005 | Rating: D+
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews…
Plot
The Saint’s a modern day Robin Hood of sorts; he prevents criminals from succeeding . Where a reward’s offered, or the criminals loot’s not discovered or disappears, he keeps it to cover his expenses.Simon Templar must always stay one step ahead of the law. Fortunately, his wit, charm, and knowledge of a criminal’s ways makes this a fairly easy task.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Val Kilmer slips in and out of a series of ludicrously elaborate disguises, some more convincing than others.
Phillip-Noyce.jpg
